A Sunday Afternoon

Camarillo, Calif., February 20, 2017 — More than 20 CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Art faculty members will display their work from Feb. 27 through March 9 in the CI Napa Gallery on campus.

“Don’t Try This at Home” is a chance for the tables to turn on Art students, who will get a chance to check out their professors’ art projects, rather than the other way around.

“We’re the teachers, but we’ve got to walk the walk,” said Art program Chair and Associate Professor Luke Matjas, MFA. “We’re all practicing artists out there in the field of art.”

The reception for “Don’t Try This at Home” and two other exhibits will be Thursday, March 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Napa Gallery at One University Drive in Camarillo. There will also be a special week-long exhibition from Adolfo Camarillo High School artists.

Opening in the CI Palm Gallery is “Sunday Paintings” by CSUCI Art Lecturer Kathleen Quaife and Otis College of Art and Design instructor Mike Cedeno.

Both teach drawing and animation, but this display will be of their weekend work, plein air paintings, which is atmospheric paintings of landscapes.

On weekends, Cedeno and Quaife, who are a couple, set up their easels outdoors and paint in a style that dates back to the 1800s and was developed into an art form by the French Impressionists.

The CI Grad Wall will feature “After Image” by 2016 Art graduate Brittany Kenney. Her series of figurative paintings depict the fading memory of people one has known.

Matjas said Art faculty members tend to challenge themselves with the faculty art shows, painting, sculpting and creating out of their comfort zone.

“I think a lot of the faculty see it as a chance to experiment and do something fun and out there,” Matjas said. “I think faculty are taking some risks.”

Faculty Art Show

Matjas counts himself among them. He is creating a site-specific piece in an area of the Napa gallery by using pieces of adhesive vinyl to assemble an image.

“It’s going to be a silhouette of a taxidermy bear on fire with some crows around,” Matjas said. “This piece is drawn digitally, then cut and stuck on the wall. I like the idea of breaking out of rectangular spaces.”

Edgy artist and Art Lecturer Larry Lytle is opting for social commentary with his inkjet-on-vinyl piece, “Sunday Afternoon...,” part of a series called “American Pursuits,” and asks the question: What would America look like if everybody carried a gun?

Almost every type of art medium will be represented in the show, from oil painting to ceramics to sculpture to video art.

For the second year in a row, CI’s Napa Gallery will also welcome the Adolfo Camarillo High School Arts Expo, which will be on display from Thursday, March 16 to Thursday, March 23.

“We’re teaming up with Adolfo Camarillo High School and featuring the best of the local high school students,” Matjas said. “We thought it would be a great way to reach out and give them a chance to exhibit in a university gallery. It’s also great for the students and gives them the sense that they can continue to create artwork in college.”

For more on all CSUCI art exhibitions, click on: http://art.csuci.edu/exhibitions/.

Limited parking is available on campus with the purchase of a $6 daily permit; follow signs to the parking permit dispensers. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road with bus service to and from the campus.  Riders should board the CSUCI Vista Bus to the campus; the cash-only fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.

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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands
(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.

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